Italian Australians could influence close election

Crucial elections will be held in Italy held later this month, and one of the country's biggest electorates is here in Australia.

There has been political turmoil in Italy, compounded by the sovereign debt crisis, which saw colourful Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stand aside and Mario Monti installed as a caretaker Prime Minister.

Mr Berlusconi is now running to become Prime Minister again along with Mario Monti and Pier-Luigi Bersani of the Democratic Party among others.

Australia has the largest number of Italians abroad voting in the electorate of Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antartica.

Postal ballots for the elections are being mailed out in Australia this week, with most due by Friday.

Alessandro Giovine from the Italian Embassy in Canberra says the biggest communities live in Sydney and Melbourne.

"We have in the count in Australia approximately 117,000 voters - it's a number which includes both categories Italian citizens only and dual nationals," he said.

One of the candidates for the centre-left coalition, led by Pier-Luigi Bersani is Melbourne-based Marco Fedi, who is seeking re-election to the Lower House.

He says it is an unusual electorate.

"It's Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica," he said.

"We are part of an overseas division with representatives from four different areas, North America, South America, Europe and our division.

"[We are] the largest, but the smallest in terms of numbers. But we are fortunate enough to elect a member of the Lower House and a member of the Senate."

One of the candidates for Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right party is Sydney-based Teresa Todaro-Restifa. She says the Italian-Australian vote could be crucial.

"This is a very very close election, it could go either way," she said.

"It could be almost a hung parliament - it has happened before in 2006 where the power balance was with one Senator."

Ms Todaro-Restifa says she is by and large had a positive reaction to representing Mr Berlusconi's party, even with the scandals surrounding him.

"People are looking at it in a very different perspective, in many different perspectives, some people really like him, some people are going to believe what they've read in the press," she said.

Europe expert Professor Simon Tormey from Sydney University says that, judging by market reaction, the Italian elections will be crucial to Europe's stability.

"They're seen very much as a bellwether for the kind of reforms that countries, particularly in the south of Europe, need to undertake in order to get back on track as far as the bankers would see," he said.

"They're watching this very closely and it's having a daily impact in terms of people's lending and borrowing and the financial transactions that are going on around the world at the moment."

Teresa Todaro-Restifa is urging all Italian-Australians to vote, saying it was a hard battle to establish the electorate in the first place.

"There's been so many years of pain and fighting for it, to have the right of all the Italians to actually vote for the Italian Parliament, and some people do not understand the importance of actually having a say in what happens," she said.

"The latest indications are that at the very least it's going to be a hung election between the Lower and Upper House," he said.

"So it's quite likely at the moment, on the basis of the latest polls, that Bersani will probably win the Lower House.

"What's happening the Upper House is a bit more difficult to call."

Bersani candidate, Marco Fedi says his party is worried about the effects of a hung parliament.

"There are some key issues affecting Italian communities abroad, but overall what I think we have to fight for is a centre-left government, able to govern with a strong majority in the chamber of deputies and a majority in the Senate," he said.

Professor Tormey says the Italians abroad vote could be questioned if the margins are very close.

"If the votes go in one particular direction towards one particular candidate that could be decisive in a very closely-fought election such as this," he said.

"That will raise increased questions about the legitimacy of overseas votes, particularly when they're exercised as many are in this part of the world, by Italians who have settled.

"First, second generation very rarely visit Italy and if their votes are seen as decisive that may well give rise to questions in the Italian media about how it is that people who very rarely visit a country are able to exercise a decisive influence upon it."

Ballots are due back at consulates across Australia by February the 21st.